Fears, The Future, and Lessons Learned
by IamKnow1
Summary: Fears, The Future, and Lessons Learned is about two people who come to understand each other in a way that most people don't. Facing fears and getting a chance at a future will only bring these two people closer together.
1. A Fear and the Future

CHAPTER 1: A Fear and the Future 

The skies had opened up and the rain was coming down hard. It was pouring down in sheets, and lightning was coming down fast and hard with booms of thunder every minute or so. The storm wasn't quite directly overhead but it was close and getting closer.

It was late in the evening at Stark Tower, the new headquarters of the Avengers. Everyone was gathered in the common area enjoying the light show from the height of the building. It was a view that very few people were able to enjoy. As the time passed and hours stretched further into the night, the Avengers grew tired and they all headed for their respective floors of the tower. Tony jokingly blamed Thor for the awful weather; after all he was the God of Thunder. However, Thor protested his innocence and everyone had a good laugh before going their separate ways for the night.

In the confusing, tiredness of the moment, no one noticed that not all had left the common area. Most had departed but one stayed behind.

She was watching the weather from the chair near the biggest window. Once everyone was cleared out and she was all alone, she pulled her knees to her chest and watched in fright as the storm raged on. Nothing caused her more fear in this world of super villains, aliens with plans of world domination, and good-intentioned experiments gone rogue than thunder storms. But her being who she was, would rather face it head on. She tried to overcome her fear but she could not make herself go to her floor. The thought of being wholly alone in her apartment during this storm shook her to her core. So she stayed were she had felt safest only moments before surrounded by her friends. It was a good idea in theory but now that everyone had emptied out, she was alone in the dark with the storm.

On most days or nights, she was a nightmare in itself but not tonight. Tonight, she was Natasha Romanoff, stripped of all her Red Room training and years of combat experience. All that was left was a scared little girl trying to face her fear.

She sat there for the longest time trying to face her fear but it was not working. She was more scared than ever. She was jumpy and any small sound in the common area just added to her constantly mounting fear. So when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she did not need training, she had fear and adrenaline. So it was not a surprise when she did what she did and that was… Attack!

She grabbed the strange hand in the dark by the wrists and jerked the body forward causing them both to crash onto the floor hard. In less time than it took for lightning to flash, she was on top of this brave but stupid human being before they had finished falling to the floor. Her punches were raining as hard as the night sky, each landing straight in the face of her unknown assailant.

She could feel the blows connect solidly against their soon to be mush of a face and she had no intentions of stopping. Not that she really could, her adrenaline was running too high in the moment. So it took the strength of the person reaching out and grabbing her wrists to force her to stop raining blows upon their face.

They sat like that for a minute, with her straddling him in the dark and him holding her wrists until the lighting lit up the room again and it was then that she realized what she had done. She had pounded Steve Rogers, Captain America, in the face…repeatedly. She went wide eyed because if it had been almost anyone else they would be severely injured or worse… dead, but not him. He didn't have a scratch on him. She stared at him with a shocked blank expression on her face not knowing what to do or how to react.

Luckily he was not shocked into silence. He spoke first, "Miss Romanoff, are you okay?" His voice was so gentle and comforting, like he was speaking to a spooked horse.

She couldn't help but laugh just a little. It was just like him, his only concern was for someone else, in this case her. He always put others before himself. Even now, after having his face smashed repeatedly, his worry was for her.

Her laugh died when the thunder made itself known in the realest way. The sound exploded right next to them. The storm had moved right above the building. She jumped and then curled down into his body trying to make herself as small as possible. She actually started shaking.

Of course, he did what he always did… he protected her, as he had done when Loki attacked and during the fall of Shield. Little did she know that he would always protect her, her above all others. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. With her head resting on his chest she could hear his breathing, it was even and steady, which helped calm her fear. He always had that effect on her, as she had the same effect on him.

His sturdiness made the shaking subside. She hated to admit it but he _felt_ safe. She had never felt that type of safe before. She knew safety from bad people and flying bullets but this type she had never known, a comfortable safety, a lasting one. Natasha had only felt it here in his arms. On pure reflex she shifted to the side and pressed in as close to his side as she could get, putting him between her and the thunder. She had never done anything like that before, put someone else between herself and danger.

He didn't know how long they had lain on the floor but he waited for a break in the storm. She was scared. He could feel her stiffening every time the thunder boomed. When the storm was a little more distant he got them up off of the floor. "Come on, Miss Romanoff, you can stay with me tonight," he said with the sweetest, most genuine smile she had ever seen.

She wanted to protest, she really did, and she would swear to that in court, but the protest died on her lips when she looked at that damn smile. She understood why women melted for him but it wasn't until that moment that she fell victim to it too. "Okay," was all she could mumble in response. She could hate herself in the morning.

She looked deep into his crystal blue eyes and he looked directly into her jade green eyes. She would swear that at the moment she could see something that she had never seen before… A future. Not the future. Little did she know that he saw the same thing and it scared him just as much as it did her. They were frozen, staring into each other's eyes.

A sudden explosion from another crack of thunder went off, making her shake. Instead of hugging her and telling her it was going to be okay, he picked her up in his arms and carried her toward the elevator. Again the feelings of safety and security swept through whole body her. So much so that she was asleep by time they reached his apartment.

He had only a little trouble opening the door to his place and making his way to his room where he gently placed her in his bed and covered her with a blanket. Once she was settled he started toward the living room couch, when she started to stir with the noise from the thunder. He pulled a chair next to the bed and tried to make himself as comfortable as was possible in the old solid wood chair.

When she made a sound of fear, he took her hand in his, to let her know that it was okay, that she was okay, but most importantly that he was still there and was not going anywhere. And that's how they slept, holding hands…

In the dark


	2. Good mornings

Chapter 2: Good mornings. 

Soon after, the storm dissipated revealing a beautiful clean night sky, allowing the pair to rest peacefully for the rest of the night. That was until she awoke the next morning. There was a groggy second while she did not recognize where she was. All she knew was she was in a strange room, in a strange but comfortable bed, but it still took a long minute before the lingering effects of sleep to lose its hold a little and things started to come back to her. She was still a little foggy on how she got there but she did remember what happened, she had fallen asleep in Steve Roger's arms. The memory of being in his arms, the feelings of safety made her smile. She still felt the care he had for her the night before, now she could feel his hand in hers

She turned to see him sitting in what was the most painful looking chair, fast asleep in a painful looking position. Natasha smiled at this man as she thought to herself 'care for others before yourself, huh? You truly might be the last good man.' Looking at the peaceful man filled her with a warm sensation. 'Too bad he's not my man' ran quickly through her mind. So fast, it shocked her and made her question herself. 'Where the hell did that come from' she shook her head trying to rid herself of the thoughts with a smile believing it was just a passing thing.

She sat in bed glancing around his bedroom and what she saw made her confused and a little bit sad, the room was basically, empty. There was a bed, dresser, and the other essentials but, no pictures, nothing that made a place a home, not that she knew what a home really was. It looked like he could pick up and be gone in at moment's notice, leaving no trace of himself. It was not that different from how she used to live. Like a ghost but she was a trained spy and assassin, he on the other hand was a soldier. Trained to fight the battles and come home but this place was no home.

Tony had built each floor for them but they were allowed to personalize it themselves. After all this was to be their homes and his home had nothing. A few years ago her place may as well been the same, things changed after working with Shield. She learned that being a ghost is no way to live a life. It was hard at first for her to break the habits. Habits she had relied on for years to keep her alive but she eventually did and now had a home and a family for the first time ever.

As Natasha sat there, she wondered why he did not have anything personal around his place. Why no knick-knacks, pictures of friends or family. She wondered to herself 'Why do you live like a ghost?" Of all people you deserve a big full life. Not just the ugly side of life.' Then it dawned on her that she really did not know the Captain at all. Of course she had read his file when he was sleeping through time, stuck in the ice. She had done her own research before that, long before that. It was hard for her not to show that she was as big of a fan as Coulson was but she held it together, sometimes just barely.

She had actually known about him for a long time. She first encounter with him, or more accurately the legend of him was when she was about to receive the red room version of the super soldier serum. They told her that the formulas were not exactly the same but should be very close to his. She was given a file to memorize on him, to understand what the serum would do to her. But what she learned was not just about the serum but who he was as a person. From what she learned about his missions she respected his toughness and determination, and then she started to like him because of the person he was.

That he was a kind person, who stood for the little guy. Why? Because once he was the little guy also that he would never back down or give up for a cause he believed it, even when the odds were against him. Things grew from there. He became a hero to her. She never forgot him over the time he was frozen in that ice. She thought about him a lot. Even during her darkest days working for the Russian government, she always questioned if he would have done the same thing she was being ask to do. She justified her actions as loyalty to her country, just like he would have been. But deep down she knew that was complete garbage.

So when the choice of death or work for Shield came up. She questioned herself 'What would he do?' The answer she knew he would say, 'make things right or a right as you can.' So the day the news came that he was alive her heart raced then learning that he was going to be working with Shield it took a great effort not swoon over him, a great effort. At first she tried to stay away from him, she was scared that he would despise her because of her past. She did not want to admit it, but deep down she could not handle rejection from someone she considered a hero.

Once the New York event happened she had no choice but to be around him. The like she felt for him changed into something else as she got to spend time with him and the person he really was. It slowly changed into something new for her, she developed a crush, something that she would never admit, ever, never to herself or to him or to anyone. She had built a wall around herself was high and thick, made of bricks and stones, emotionless and cold. That was how she survived while he slept through time. Doing the things that made her known as the Black Widow.

She worked with him every day risking their lives together. He had saved her life on a countless number of occasions, actually she knew exactly how many times, and of all things she was now sitting in his bedroom, in his bed. It was kind of a dream come true, but not quite what she fantasized. But he once again saved her, this time from her own fear.

So the fact that he had nothing personal really did make her sad. So right there she decided that she was to get to know the Captain better, not a file, watching news footage, or from the point of fan. She was a spy after all. She had done hundreds of infiltration missions. This would be no different. Spend time with him, get to know him, to maybe become his friend, a real true friend. She knew it was going be hard not to show him her inner fan or the fact she had a schoolyard crush she had on him, but to her, he was worth the risk.

Little did she know what she would discover about herself and in that process, gain much more than just a friend. What else is unexpected is how little amount time from this moment to that one there really is. Hint: Not long.

She continued to hold his hand for a time after she woke up. She was surprised that despite the amount of time he spent in the gym, multiple numbers of rough missions, and years of fighting. The blood and death that his hands had seen, that his hands were still soft and smooth. The feel of them made her thoughts drift unwillingly to what his hands would feel like elsewhere. And that drift caused her cheeks to color a lovely shade a red, which in turn caused a small delighted smile to form on her lips. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. After all this was Steve Rogers, Captain America defender of the innocent and all around good guy.

The ideas that currently were floating around in her mind, colored her cheeks again, this time with the thoughts of corrupting of Steve Rogers in explicit detail. Then like a stiff punch to the face, she realized what she was doing. She even said it out loud in a whisper "What am I doing?" trying not to wake him. 'This is Steve Rogers, an actual good guy' her brain yelled at her but it continued sadly 'he would never be with or want someone with red in their ledger.'

Her mind was still on her thoughts and how sad they made her when he started to stir to consciousness. It shook her from her from her nightmarish thoughts. She did something totally un-Black Widow like, she panicked. Not knowing what else to do, she quickly lay back down and pretended to be asleep. She closes her eyes, only to reopen them when she felt his hand gently slide out of hers. She didn't like the new emptiness she felt from their lack of touch.

She blinked her eyes a few times to feign waking up for the first time. She looked over at him and smiled. "Good morning," she said in a way that made him blush. It was not the effect she was going for but she mentally kicked herself for it, 'what are you doing? It will never happen, stop hoping.' her brain screamed at her.

He responded with the same "good morning" in the same gentle voice from the night before. He followed it with even more concern for her, "Are you okay¸ Miss Romanoff? Did you sleep alright?" Her wellbeing was the first thing on his mind, of course, it was. Good guy to the end.

"I'm fine and I slept well too. Your bed is comfy, maybe you should have joined me?", again her brain screamed at her. She quickly moved on before he could say anything. "But maybe I should be asking you those questions. You're the one who had their bed invaded and forced to sleep in that chair," she said while waving a hand toward the chair he currently occupied. He just smiled his acknowledgement of his less than uncomfortable sleeping arrangements but said nothing.

"And please call me Natasha, okay?" she asked with a soft smile, before adding "I mean we have slept together. I think you can call me by my first name." Her smile was now teasing and again her brain was screaming at her. 'What the hell are you doing? I mean really.'

The Cap's face turned the same bright red as her hair as he tried to return a smile and sort of failed. He liked to see her smile, he did not see it often but he wished he did. She deserved to smile more. She was speaking, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Seriously, thank you for last night." Her voice was soft and quiet. She said taking his hand again but also looking down at the bed in embarrassment, afraid to show that red color that he wore moments earlier was now slowly creeping its way onto her cheeks now.

"Anytime," he said softly matching her quiet tone. He smiles at her before continuing on. "But something occurred to me last night that if something like last night happens and I am not there I want you to take these." He said as he took something from the pocket of his coat that was hanging on the back of the chair. "I know they're not much but they have always brought me good luck and kept fear away even during the most," He trailed off a little before finishing his thoughts. "During the scarier moments" he said as he handed her the item. Whatever it was, was small and cool to the touch. She did not know exactly what it because she was too busy staring straight into his eyes afraid to break the contact but also afraid of what she was seeing. …a future, again. This time though she saw a little more. She saw her future with him. Of course she would not allow herself to believe it, convinced that she did not deserve it and that he would never have her.

The moment was finally broken by JARVIS. "Captain Rogers, it is 7:30am, this is your wake up call." They both blinked a few time as the moment passed.

"Thank you, JARVIS" Steve said with a sigh, as he got up from his chair, stretching.

She took this moment to look at what was in her hands. She saw two pieces of metal joined together by a small chain. She immediately knew what it was. His dog tags from when he first joined the army in the 40s. She looked at them in amazement. The fan in her would have loved to keep them but the Black Widow side of her could not take them. It would be like admitting that she was afraid of something and the years of being the Black Widow built the walls high and thick, cold and emotionless.

It was out of her mouth before she could think "Steve, I can't take these," she said placing the dog tags on the nightstand. The smile on his face faltered a little and she saw it.

"Well if you change your mind, they will be right there for you," he said as he nodded toward them. She could tell she had hurt him.

A few awkward moments passed and Steve Rogers, who may not have had a lot of experience with women but he could tell she was embarrassed and he did not want to embarrass her any further. "I am going to get some coffee. Would you like anything?" he asked as he headed for the door of his bedroom, hoping that the awkward embarrassment would pass while he was out.

"You don't have to hurry off because of me. I'm not going to bite," she said with a sly smile. "Unless you want me to?" She did not know why she said it but she said it and she could feel the blush on her cheeks again. She normally keeps the teasing to a bare minimum with him. You know the never at all level. But right now, apparently that was not an option. The part of her brain that stops this was not working today.

"Bite no, but punch me again, maybe," he said with a slight laugh but she didn't laugh, not even a little. She just looked down in shame. He knew he only made the mood more awkward now. 'Great job, Rogers' he thought to himself.

For his part he instantly regretted what he said, he knew he messed up. "Hey, hey I'm sorry," he said. He reached over to tip her head back up with his finger to once again lock eyes with her. "I didn't mean anything by it. I am sorry." The sincerity was etched on his face. She knew he would never hurt her on purpose.

She looked into his eyes and there it was, the same thing she had seen the night before, a future. Her future. This time however her brain did not scream or fight. This time was different. All it said was 'maybe, just maybe' She smiled at him. "I'll take a coffee with cream and two sugars, please." Once he turned away from her, she had to ask herself 'what is going on?' The answer she got was not from her head but her heart. That was not something her brain was going to let herself believe it, so it hid behind its wall. She shook the internal struggle clear of her. And she asked him one simple question that would lead to a lot of trouble.

"Can I jump in the shower?"

"Sure." And with that he was off to the common kitchen.

She was hoping the water would help her figure out what was going on with herself, but the battle between her mind and her heart was not going to be drowned out, no matter how long she stood in his shower.


	3. Lessons and A Crumbling Wall

CHAPTER 3: Lessons and A Crumbling Wall

Steve was carefully preparing Natasha's coffee in the common area, where most of the Avengers had gathered this morning. He was trying to go unnoticed. But then Pepper walked into the kitchen and he could tell that she was not happy. He also knew that when Pepper wasn't happy ain't nobody happy.

She was asking everyone there, "Has anyone seen Natasha? We're supposed go to breakfast with Jane." Everyone kind of shakes their head no. Steve knew he did not have to explain that she was in his bed. It was none of their business but he decided that retreating before it was his turn to face Pepper was a better plan. So he made his way toward the elevator.

"Gee thanks guys, you're a big help," Pepper said, sarcastically. She did not even try asking him so he was closer to a clean gateway. Rogers was at the elevators wishing they would hurry up but it was too late. Pepper called the one person or in this case, computer, who would know the answer of exactly where Natasha was. "JARVIS, do you have a current location on Natasha?"

The Captain could swear that he heard TAPS playing in his ears. Why you ask, because he knew he was dead. Even though the elevator had opened and he was in it, the elevator door was not close to being closed in time and JARVIS was already answering the question. "Miss Romanoff's current location is in Captain Rogers's master bathroom shower, Ma'am." Everything after that happened quickly.

Tony sputtered on his coffee while Clint spit his into the sink.

In moment of stunned silence the doors finally started but it was no avail. Once everyone had recovered from their momentary shock, they turned on him but it was Pepper who spoke up as the Cap was trying to make his great escape.

"JARVIS, hold the elevator."

'Yep,' he thought to himself 'I'm dead'

"Stop right there, Mr. Rogers," she said in her powerful, make Tony obey voice. Rogers stopped like a deer in highlights. He knew better to defy Pepper. So he froze in his spot, taking a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for whatever came next. He had never been so scared in his life. Kind of wished he still had his dog tags.

About this time Natasha had finished her shower, as she was drying off, she kept thinking about his dog tags and she did not know why. After finishing toweling off she looked at her clothes. She did not want to put the clothes she slept in back on. She had this thing, she could wear the same clothes for days while in the field but once she took them off there was no way she was going to put them back on. So she stuck her head out of the bathroom door to make sure he was not back yet. When she was sure she was alone she tiptoed naked to his closet and looked for something to wear. Well actually she knew exactly what she was looking for, she had seen him wear it on a few occasions. It did not take long before she found what she was looking for. Once she put her found item on, she looked down and saw how big it was on her. It made her look like a small child. It hung to just above her knees and sleeves were well past her hands. So she went to the task of rolling them up.

As she was completing the much harder than originally thought task, she turned to see the dog tags just sitting there on the nightstand. She just kind of stared at them thinking about them over and over again. 'Why can't you take them? Because it means admitting that you are afraid of something, huh?' She closed her eyes trying to get her heart and head to stop fighting. That's when it dawned on her. 'Maybe, acknowledging that you are frightened by something would a good for you' and both her heart and mind agreed. This was lesson number one, admitting fear is not bad thing.

So she picked up them up. She held them in her hand for a long moment, looking at them. They were worn and a little beat up but they clearly had been taken care of. It dawned on her that the Captain may not have had many personal items but these were among the most important things in the world to him. As she slipped them over her head, her mind had to ask 'Why would he give them to you so easily?' The mind may have asked but her heart was the one with the answer but once again her mind did want it always did. Throw up the wall, not allowing the idea in.

There was a small surprise when the dog tags settled against her skin; they were cold but something about them felt also very comfortable and safe. Like they were in the right place around her neck and that she would confess to herself freely. And a brick fell from the wall. But now that she had a free minute alone in his apartment, time to get on with her mission. Snoop around and learn what she could about him to get to know the personal him.

Natasha wandered the rest of his floor and found it just as bare and empty as his bedroom. It was the same story in each room, there was nothing personal. The only thing she found was a drawing pad sitting on the coffee table in the living room. Being the inquisitive type she picked it up and started flipping through. The contents inside made her realized how lonely the Cap really was.

She found drawings of the howling commandos, Colonel Phillips, Bucky and of course his first love Peggy Carter. Natasha stared at this drawing for a long time, she noticed the detail he had put into it. She figured the more detail the more he cared. Natasha could see that Peggy was quite beautiful, but she had wondered what else it was about her that drew the good captain to her. Why Her? Natasha could not help be feel a pang of jealousy. The little bit of jealousy made Natasha stop for a second. This wasn't something she was used to, a human emotion. Another brick down and now a hole in the wall. She huffed a little and turned back to the drawing of Peggy in her hand.

She knew enough about him from her own fandom and spending time with him now that a pretty face was not the only thing you needed to get his attention. He had enough pretty girls throwing themselves at him, promising him the world. The world was not what he wanted, Natasha knew that. Steve Rogers, Captain America wanted true love, The One.

After a long minute she flipped through the rest of the drawing pad. What she found was a little shocking. There was a drawing of everyone from the Avengers but not in their famous forms as the world saw them but a personal look at each and every one of them. Tony was holding Pepper close out on the balcony, Jane and Thor together sitting, talking about the stars, Bruce reading a book only he would read while drinking his tea, Hawkeye sitting at the kitchen table, cleaning his bow as if it was the most normal thing it the world to do.

The last drawing caught her by surprise. It was her with her guard was down, a rare event something that happens so infrequently Hawkeye could count the number of times he had seen it on one hand. In the drawing she was curled up fast asleep in an oversized chair in the common room. She again stared at the drawing for a long moment. And once again she noticed the detail in it, it was as detailed or more so than the picture of Peggy. The smile spread across her face, she could not stop even if she wanted too, and she didn't. The bricks were raining down from the heavens.

She saw something written at the bottom of the page. "Natasha, may your dreams bring you the peace you so deserve." As the last brick from her wall fell, tears started falling in their place. They flowed from her eyes freely.

The tears were not ones of sadness, actually the opposite, they were happy tears. Why, because once the wall was gone her heart answered those questions her mind asked earlier. 'Why did she keep teasing him?' and 'why would he give you his dog tags? One of his most prized possessions'

With no more walls, meant answers. 'Why the teasing because you were flirting with him, why? Easy, you are in love with him.' That was easier to admit that she expected. She may not have known a lot about him but she knew one thing that she loved him.

And for the other question 'why would he give you his tags. To help protect the person he loves.' Her eyes went wide with that. She shook her head there was no way the Cap was in love with her, she the Black Widow, too much red in her ledger for someone who is a good person to their core. But once again her heart had the answer for that too. 'Really look at the drawing, dumbass,' her heart screamed.

Natasha looked down again and slowly went over every little bit. Until she saw it there something else and now she could look away from it, written in very small letters. Something that most people in this part of the world could not read but she could clear as day. ' _я тебя люблю'_ This was lesson number two. The Cap knew about her past and knows her the person she is. She decided to wait for him to get back and ask about all of it, but…

He had been gone longer than she could take, about a minute and half, Natasha had great talents and many of them but patience was not one. She had to know if he meant it what was written on the drawing. So she grabbed the drawing pad and headed for elevators and the common area kitchen. Not giving one thought to her current clothing choice.

When the elevator doors opened she was taken aback by what she saw. The Cap was sitting on stool at the counter with everyone crowded around him, questioning him about her, him and them. For his part, he wasn't saying a word, except "nothing happened" and "It's none of your business." She could tell he was again trying to protect her by not telling them why she was in his room. That she was afraid of something, and he protected her from it.

The group was drawing their own conclusions of why she was there and may have happened between the two super soldiers. It was easy to see that he was very uncomfortable with the situation and that pissed her off. Hell, this was the man she loved, damn it! So it was her turn to protect him.

That is something you did not want to do, piss off the Black Widow. Most people who did got very ill quickly, suffering from severe case of ass whooping or worse, acute lead poisoning. An angry assassin is bad but when that person is the world's deadliest assassin. Only bad things can happen from there.

Her voice was raised and sharp, but the cool calm she was known for was gone. It was replaced with heat and fire. "Back off," she said.

Everyone froze. They knew that voice and they all noticed the lack of cool. When she said it a second time, "Back off him, now."

Everyone did, literally taking a step back. They all knew not to anger Pepper as she could make your life difficult but the Black Widow could just end it if she was so inclined. So like a well-trained guard dog, they did as they were told, quickly.

After a few tense second when they finally dared turn to face her, the situation did not get better. As Tony had to be an ass and laugh out. "Well I guess that answers all the questions I had." Hawkeye just buried his face in his hands, because he knew, what everyone knew, Tony was as good as a dead man.

Her face was a scorching red color. If she were any more pissed off she might turn green and rampage through the city. "What did you say?" she said between teeth so tightly clenched that she was going to need dental work.

When he actually answered her, "Nothing, it's just, you know, look at you… you're wearing his shirt and you know what people say. A man's dress shirt on a woman's naked body is like a flag on a conquered land.'" He said waving a hand at the way she was dressed, which in truth was just one of Cap's giant blue dress shirts. Well giant on her, a little tight on him, not that the female segments of the population complained about that.

You could feel the air heavy with heat and rage it was practically rolling off her in waves. Then Tony, who already had one foot firmly in the grave had to go the pull the first shovel full of dirt onto himself. He looked over at her and spotted her necklace aka Captain Steve Rogers dog tags.

"Besides that you have his dog tags around your neck and soldiers only do that if they're serious. So it seems pretty clear to me." He said matter of factly.

She actually thought about going after him, even took a couple a steps in his direction, but those notions were stopped quickly when the Cap stepped up to her. Just the sight of him calmed her down almost instantly. She had a chance to catch her breath and once she was breathing and not growling at Tony, he looked at her and asked a simple question, "Is that my drawing pad?"

She smiled a small devilish smile and nodded her head, "I looked in it too." Steve blinked hard because he knew right away what she seen. As if on cue she opened to the drawing of herself. Everyone gathered around him to see it. They were all curious what was so important that it had made her come to the common kitchen in only his shirt.

"Wow, that's really good. Nice work," said Bruce looking at the drawing and everyone agreed but the comment was ignored by the two of them. They were in their own little at that moment and as she stared into his eyes again, she saw it once again, A future, a whole future with him.

But she had to know if he really meant so she asked "Do you mean it?"

Steve was one of the world's bravest men but he had never been so terrified in his life, but he was not going to lie to her. "Yes, ever since the moment I saw you on the deck of that helicarrier. It only became stronger as I got to know you.

"That was three years ago. Why didn't you say something, anything?"

"I am a man out of time. I don't really understand this time, the technology, the people, or most things. The idea of asking the strongest, boldest woman I have ever met out on a date or to tell her I…" he trailed off not really knowing what to say next, so he said what he was feeling " I was, I am scared."

Her smile was beaming. She absentmindedly handed the pad to Pepper as she stepped closer to him. Pepper, who was transfixed on the situation in front of her, sat the drawing pad on the counter as she watched Natasha and Steve. The two were now standing directly in front of each other maybe a foot apart at most. "Really? You're afraid? Of Me?"

"I guess we all have fears."

"And yours is me? Really?"

"Yes, Natasha, really." That's when she stepped up and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with all the passion she could manage. When she pulled away she whispered "You have nothing to be afraid of with me. We can face our fears together" Then she kissed him again and he returned it with just as much passion.

Everyone was stunned by their actions but they just kept staring at them, silently. The two of them could not care right now. They could be standing in Grand Central Station surround by every news reporter in the world; they were lost in their own little world.

Bruce was the only one not gawking at them. He was too busy looking at the drawing. He got the rest of the groups attention when he the said "Ohh, I get it." More to himself than to them but they heard him.

Everyone turned to him, well except the Cap and Natasha as they were busy. They all had the same question and it came from about five different directions. "What?"

Bruce pointed at the small wording on the drawing, ' _я тебя люблю'_ Once Hawkeye saw it he knew. The small words on the drawing were Russian and since he spoke Russian he got it. He was happy for her. She was his best friend and she deserved the best and the Cap was the best man he knew. While Hawkeye may have understood but everyone else was clueless.

"What does it mean?" finally Pepper asked impatiently

Bruce looked up and smiled at the couple. "' _я тебя люблю'_ is Russian for…

I love you."


End file.
